Polegate pensioner found dead in garden

The body of Malcolm George Longman, a former airline security worker, was discovered after the 70-year-old contacted his solicitor the previous evening saying he was going to take his own life.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and found Mr Longman in his garden at his home in Croft Close on April 22 this year.

His death was due to toxicity.

An inquest at Eastbourne Town Hall on Thursday (August 27) heard Mr Longman had been diagnosed with cancer and also had a history of depression.

His step-daughter Suzanne Dixon said Mr Longman felt socially isolated and she was concerned about how he would deal with the coronavirus lockdown which started in March.

She said he was a loved and irreplaceable member of the family and was “kind and an important role model in our lives”.

Recording a verdict that Mr Longman had taken his own life, East Sussex coroner Alan Craze said, “It’s 100 per cent certain that he took his own life and made a calculated decision to do so.”